Woman charged with cruelty to animals after abandoned, malnourished dog found

(Source: Brunswick County Sheriff's Office)

Tara Johnson (Source: Brunswick Co. Sheriff's Office)

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WECT) – A Leland woman has been charged with one count of cruelty to animals after Brunswick County Sheriff's Animal Protective Services and the Town of Leland Animal Control obtained a neglected, abandoned dog.

Tara Johnson, 35, was arrested and charged Tuesday, along with one count of abandonment of an animal.

According to a spokesperson for the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, a real estate agent found the dog, an Australian/Shepherd mix, while changing locks at a foreclosed home.

[Click here to see photos of the dog after it was found. WARNING: You may find some of the images disturbing.]

The dog was found in a wire crate, severely dehydrated and malnourished and unable to move his back legs.